Janelle Monae

October 29, 2010

@ The Warfield

Better than: Taking a bad batch of mushrooms and becoming embroiled in a group-sex scandal.

Can we just start by saying that Janelle Monae is shitting mental? 'Cause she is. And her opening set tonight is just the start of an evening of bizarre amateur dramatics that feel very much like an acid trip, taken in the '70s, that repeats on you for years to come.

One bonus is that when Monae is being a freak, it's a joy to watch; when the members of Of Montreal are being freaks, it feels a little bit like coming home one day and finding your brother in the midst of a creepy orgy that (a) you don't want to take part in, and (b) you never wanted to know about in the first place.